Monday, December 5, 2011

Hi again. Oh, didn't I tell you I'm going for the "Least Updated Blog of 2011" award? I think I have a pretty good chance of winning that one...

Unfortunately I've got no big news or juicy gossip to excuse my absence. My sewing machine has been gathering dust save for a few projects here and there.

Halloween was my last big project at the sewing machine. Since this is probably the last time I can decide what costume L will wear (by next year she'll surely be much more opinionated), I brainstormed an outfit that would meet the following requirements:- warm enough for wearing outside, and able to wear layers underneath- minimal fuss to put on a toddler - can be assembled using stash fabrics

Inspired by this rabbit costume I found on Etsy, I fell in love with the idea of a long sleeved bunny rabbit suit. I was browsing through some old issues of Ottobre to find a good starting point when I found the entire costume drafted for me in the form of a "piglet coverall" winter bunting, only I needed to replace the small pig ears with long bunny ears, and replace the curly tail with a white fluffball.

I raided my stash and settled on some heavy grey wool jersey - the Vera Wang stuff from Fabric.com that everyone went crazy over two years ago. This fabric turned out to be much thicker than I expected, better for outerwear than a top or a dress. The floral cotton print is from a thrifted bed sheet (because don't all moms who sew and blog eventually use a thrifted bed sheet in their children's garments?).

The legs and arms ended up being really long, but nothing some foldup action couldn't solve.

I was even thinking that I could reuse the costume next year, or share it with someone else in need of a bunny costume, until I threw it in the warm wash with my other laundry and it felted into a small, stiff, sad little outfit. Good thing I only spent one night making it.

How adorable is this costume, and your little girl? :D The great thing about RSS feeds is that no matter how regularly (or not) you blog, we still get updates whenever you post. Don't worry - you're not forgotten!

This is a great costume... and you will be sewing lots more I am certain ;-). Your little girl is very young. May be next year, you will get to decide again her costume. I use to make my son's costume only a few days before Halloween. Or else, he would change his mind after I was all done sewing it. The fun thing is to pass them along to a second child or friend's children. The one's who do no sew are always so happy to have those little rabbits. Lovely daughter !!

if it never went into a dryer, then there's a way to bring it back to original size... hang on.. here's the note I saved.

In a large pot, combine two liters of water with one liter of vinegar and bring to a simmer. Add the shrunken garment and let sit for 20 minutes. This process will loosen the fibers and allow the item to be reshaped. When the time is up, drain the pot and let the sopping wet garment cool to a handling temperature. Be sure not to rinse the garment. When it has cooled a bit, dry the garment by rolling it in clean towels. Once the excess liquid has been removed, lay the garment on a clean towel and gently reshape it. Don’t worry—the vinegar scent will go away after some time. Let it air dry and you should have your garment back to its normal size! However, if it has been placed in the dryer, this trick likely will not work as the heat causes permanent shrinkage.